There Are Boobs in This Code

Paolo Bonzini was looking over the code that helps Microsoft play nice with Linux when he discovered that someone at Microsoft had sneaked in a little joke into its code: a hexadecimal string reading 0xB16B00B5 (See it? It says “BIG BOOBS”).

Microsoft quickly issued a statement apologizing, adding that an upcoming patch would change the spelling. Many have commented on the issue, suggesting this sort of joke contributes to a culture that makes it difficult for women to feel welcome or accepted. We agree. We think that there should be dicks in the code, too. But how do you turn the words “cock farm” into obvious hex?

Header photo by Michael Lehet.